Guwahati: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati have found a way to modify graphene oxide in a way that could lead to development of biomarkers for disease detection.
The research team led by Rajiv K. Kar, assistant professor at the Jyoti and Bhupat Mehta School of Health Sciences and Technology at IIT Guwahati, have found a way to modify graphene oxide for such cutting-edge biomedical applications. Kar’s team studied how amino acid modified graphene oxide (GO) behaves in liquid. We found that a particular bond in Cys-GO sheets enhances their stability, reducing random movements.
"The materials that are developed from this research can be used for detection of analyte and hence, it can be used for development of tools for disease detection. For example, if you have a cystine protein in your biomarker molecule, the material can interact and identify it, which is the purpose of disease detection and the tool," a member of Kar’s team told Business North East. This research has the potential to aid in the detection of biomarkers for disease detection.
Biomarkers are an objective measure to know what is happening in a cell or an organism at a given moment. They serve as health early warning systems.For instance, cholesterol or blood sugar are biomarkers in blood leading to warnings about high blood pressure or diabetes.
Given the necessity for preventive treatments and focus on wellness, IIT-G’s research could be a breakthrough.
Graphene oxide, the oxidised form of the Nobel prize-winning material graphene, is easy to process since it is dispersible in water and other solvents. Graphene itself possesses outstanding electrical and thermal conductivity while GO offers a large surface area and low cytotoxicity, making it suitable for medical applications, according to Kar’s team.
GO can be engineered through defects, doping, and functional modifications to enhance its optical and electrical properties for improved biomedical sensing applications, according to Kar.
The IITG team is focusing on a specific functional modification of graphene involving the attachment of an amino acid, Cysteine or simple amine group, attachment over graphene. GO can be engineered through defects, doping, and functional modifications, which enhance its optical and electrical properties for improved biomedical sensing applications.
The team has also developed cost effective experiments for modifying graphene oxide that can be used by other academic institutions. Those institutions can train personnel needed for cutting edge projects in semiconductors, nanoelectronics, healthcare, and quantum technologies supported by the government of India.
The team's extensive knowledge of graphene-based materials has led to the development of innovative laboratory experiments designed to provide students with hands-on skills and inspire them to explore the possibilities of advanced materials.
The research findings have been published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C and Journal of Chemical Education in a paper authored by Kar along with his research scholars, Rajan Singh, Shweta Tiwariand Jyotirekha Jena.
The research has been supported by the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Indian Nanoelectronics Users Program, funded by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
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